Maybe I’ve just been lucky not to use the Crosstown line regularly until now, but the last two weeks on the afternoon G from Queens has been a mess in a specific way. Around 3:15-3:40 at Court Square, I’ve gotten on trains displayed as Church Av, only to have the crew announce around Classon Ave that we’re terminating at Bedford-Nostrand and everyone has to cross the platform for the next Church Av-bound train. The weird part is the next train is usually arriving on the opposite track at the same time, so it feels deliberate, not a breakdown. The board at Court Square said Church Av both times. The conductor’s announcement was too garbled to understand until we were getting off. I’m not new to subway ops — I know the G has a permanent terminal at Bedford-Nostrand for some runs and that service drops off after the pandemic schedule changes. But is there a way to tell from the roll sign, the position of the train, the countdown clocks, or the crew’s wording before you commit? I’d rather stay at Court Square and wait for the through train than get off halfway up the line. Also, does the crew know at the origin, or are they told mid-trip? If this is just a regular midday service pattern, I’ll start checking something, but I don’t want to be the guy asking the operator every time.

Yeah the G has had those Bedford short-turns since forever. If the countdown clock says Church Av, that don’t mean much. I usually look at the strip map or the front roll sign, but even that’s not reliable. Best move is stand in the front half and listen for the crew muttering between Nassau and Classon. Lately I just wait for a train that’s already open at Court Square rather than one that pulls in after sitting across from the 7, but I’m not sure that’s a real tell.

Wait, so if I’m on a G from Queens to 7th Ave Brooklyn and it terminates at Bedford-Nostrand, do I have to cross the platform? Is the next train actually there? I thought the G only had one southbound track through there. I started taking it last month and this happened once, but I was too nervous to cross so I just went upstairs and walked.

Oh I love this! The Bedford-Nostrand short-turn is part of the G’s operational DNA since they brought it back to Church after the Culver work. But the midday pattern is NOT evenly spaced! Have you noticed the countdown clocks will sometimes show two trains back-to-back: one Bedford-Nostrand and one Church Av, but the Bedford one arrives first. If you let it go, you wait 12 minutes. The through train is often already in the station when you get kicked off, but that’s not guaranteed! I once waited 18 minutes after being kicked off because the 'across the platform' next train was actually the next short-turn. If you want a consistent tell, watch the route sign: the front ends with Bedford-Nostrand sometimes show a smaller destination window, but not always. I always look at the center of the Court Square platform. If the countdown says 'G Church Av 0 min' but a train is sitting on the Manhattan-bound side with doors open, that’s not your train. It lies.

Thanks for the detail, DumboSunset. That pairing on the countdown clock matches what I saw today. The train across the platform was an empty lay-up and didn’t open right away. The crew had to change ends, so the 'cross the platform' move wasn’t immediate. One thing I noticed both times: at Court Square, the crew was already walking toward the rear cab while passengers were still boarding. That seems like a better tell than the signs. If the conductor is moving through the train before the doors close, I assume it’s going to short-turn. Today that happened again at 3:25, and sure enough we got the announcement at Classon. I’ll keep testing it, but it would be nice if the MTA just marked them as Bedford-Nostrand trips on the countdown clocks.

ok I tried looking for the walking crew trick after reading this yesterday, but I felt weird staring at the conductor. I was on the 4:02 from Greenpoint Ave maybe. The crew just stood there, then at Bedford they announced the short-turn and I had to rush across. The next train was waiting but the doors closed on me because I was in the last car. Is the next train supposed to hold for the whole train or just the first people who run?

They don’t hold the connection. If you’re in the last car, you’re cooked. I always ride the middle of the G now, not the front or back, so I can pivot to either staircase at Bedford. The real horror is when they do the short-turn with the doors opening on the opposite side at Bedford and people on the platform try to board the terminating train thinking it’s in service. Last time there was a whole mess with a stroller. The MTA should put 'not in service' up before the announcement.

I only take the G on weekends and this Bedford short-turn seems less common then, or maybe I’m just not on it before 4 p.m. Does anyone know if it’s a PM rush thing? For a while they were short-turning G trains at Nassau Av due to track work, and the signs online said 'G trains run between Court Sq and Church Av every 12 minutes' but then you’d get a random Bedford. The countdown clock at Bedford northbound is basically fiction after 3 p.m.

Flatbush_Fi, the stroller guy at Bedford is a weekly event. They should just let the train continue to Church. It’s only two more stops. I’ve seen the C/R look just as annoyed as the passengers. NewUtrechter, rule of thumb: when you board at Court Square or 21st, look at the first car’s side sign. If it says Bedford and you need 7th Av or Church, don’t sit down. Or just take the next one if the platform isn’t packed. But that’s not always obvious.

Thanks everyone! I tried checking the front sign today at Court Square, but the train had something weird: it said 'G Church Av' on the side but 'Bedford-Nostrand' on the front. Which one is real? I ended up getting off at Classon and waiting for the next one, which came after 6 minutes and went to Church. Is the front one more updated?

firstwinter, the front and side signs are often out of sync because the operator has to set the destination at the terminal, but sometimes the conductor’s side hasn’t updated. The conductor’s position is the better tell! If the conductor announces 'This is a Bedford-Nostrand bound G train' at Court Square before you get on, believe that, even if the signs say Church. The sign disagreement is maddening. What I actually want is for them to put 'Church Av (all trips)' in the API so the apps can show the short-turns, but they don’t. Best practice: never board a southbound G in Queens after 2 p.m. without hearing a clear announcement. If the C/R is silent, stay near the middle.